The Times-Siena Poll reveals that Donald Trump is politically surviving the charges against him before voting in the G.O.P. primary

The polls found that, for the most part, Mr. Trump is politically surviving the criminal charges against him before voting in the G.O.P. primary begins. He leads Mr. Biden in at least five of the six battleground states. In the sixth state, Mr. Biden had a small lead. A majority of voters agree that Mr. Trump’s policies helped them. A small proportion of voters say they have been hurt by Mr. Biden’s policies.

There is no reason to think that the results of the polls will match the final election tally. But if they did, it could represent an epochal shift in American politics, one with the potential to reverberate for decades as young and nonwhite voters make up a growing share of the electorate. Many familiar patterns in American politics would be blurred. Feudalism would fade. It would be the culmination of a decade-long realignment of the electorate along the lines of Mr. Trump’s conservative populism, all while dashing Democratic hopes of assembling a progressive majority around a new generation of young and nonwhite voters.

Voters trust Mr.Trump more than Mr. Biden when it comes to the economy. On the economy, Mr. Trump is more trusted across every age group, among white and Hispanic voters and across the educational spectrum. In most of these states, the share of voters who say they’re voting based on the economy — as opposed to social issues — has increased since the midterm elections last November.

Gail Collins. Bret, I know you’re busy writing about your reporting trip to Israel, and I am looking forward to reading all your thoughts. Can we discuss the Times-Siena poll regarding the presidential race that came out on Sunday? Donald Trump is leading in most of the states.

Bret: Basically, this poll is to Biden’s second-term ambitions what sunlight is to morning fog. Shouldn’t he just bow out gracefully and focus his remaining attention on the crises of the moment, such asUkraine and the Middle East, instead of participating in a punishing campaign that will make the country vulnerable to a Trump comeback?

Gail: Is there anything else? Well, you and I both hoped he wouldn’t run for re-election. But he did, and he appears to be in better physical shape than Donald Trump, and is three years older than him.

Why Does Biden Need a Coup This Time? An Essay on the Perils of Biden’s Devastation in the Presidency

How about putting in a good word for Dean Phillips, the Minnesota representative challenging Biden? Lloyd Austin, the defense secretary, would be more confident as a potential president, if Biden’s team had lost the race to choose a veep.

Harris is the best vice president ever, but she is also hiding it. Voters are underwhelmed, her presence on the ticket Compounds Biden’s abysmal numbers.

Gail: I’m tormented by this whole national vision of Biden as an aging dolt while Trump plays the energetic orator. Our colleagues Michael Buerkle and Michael Gold pointed out recently that Trump has had a string of gaffes in his speeches.

Trump has been called the Bomba of idiocy. But too many people seem more impressed by his rhetorical force than appalled by his moral and ideological destructiveness.

Bret asked, that is a great question. As a matter of law, I think Trump belongs in jail. The political problem is that the indictments help him, because they play to his outlaw appeal. He wants to cast himself as the Josey Wales of American politics. His entire argument is that “the system” — particularly the Justice Department — is broken, biased and corrupt, so anything the system does against him is proof of its corruption rather than of his. A lot of people agree with him.

Source: Opinion | Trump May Not Need a Coup This Time

Biden, Tubville, and the Holocaust: The Case for Changing the Rules of the Senate and the Senate to a Vote

I do not think Biden’s candidacy is inevitable. Democrats think that if they challenge Biden, he will eventually win the Republican nomination, like Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. But the alternative is to watch Biden risk his single greatest accomplishment — defeating an incumbent Trump in the first place — by heedlessly running in the face of overwhelming public skepticism.

Gail: I don’t see any reason to complain about Biden being very, very definitely running since he is. He would be 10 times better than Trump.

Gail: What’s so frustrating is — Biden has a really fine record. The economy has picked up. He’s gotten a huge program passed for infrastructure projects like better roads and bridges. He’s always got the fight against global warming on his agenda. He stands up firmly for social issues most Americans support, like abortion rights.

Bret: All the more reason for him to rest on his laurels and pass the baton to a younger generation. I can think of half a dozen Democrats who would trounce Trump in the election if they showed up to the debate with a pulse and a brain. I’m going to start with four: Josh Shapiro, Wes Moore, and the other ones.

It’s time to have a look at what just occurred in Israel, because I think that Tubville should look at what’s happened there. The country has paid a terrible price in the lives of people because politicians ignored the degradation of the country’s military readiness. I hope Lindsey Graham and Chuck Schumer can work together to change the rules of the Senate and get the nominations to a vote.

Bret: Readers won’t be surprised to know that I find Tlaib’s views wrong and repellent. She is an embarrassment to her party and the House. I oppose efforts to censure her because of that. Free societies like America and Israel stand for freedom of speech even if they suppress it, while dictatorships like Hamas in Gaza do not. The right censure for Tlaib would be to get voted out of office, not muzzled by her colleagues.

Source: Opinion | Trump May Not Need a Coup This Time

What do you wish for during the holidays? I’m sure there are some people who wouldn’t know what Donald Trump would have if she were present

Gail: “You are right.” For a minute, let’s go back to that poll. I was fascinated by the fact that only 6 percent of the respondents identified themselves as union members. I think unions have done a lot to help the working class and middle class in this country, and I am very sad that their influence is waning.

The popular costumes in our neighborhood tend to go more toward ghosts and skeletons than celebrities, and we were delighted to see that last week when the kids were trick-or-treating. On to Thanksgiving and then I’m gonna challenge you to come up with a list of things in the public world you’re thankful for.

Gail: Yeah. There are a number of people not heard of who are in a Republican debate, and Donald Trump is not present. I guess your fave Nikki Haley is near the head of the pack, such as it is. Think she still has a whisper of a chance?

Bret: Not sure. But you’ve somehow reminded me of a lovely poem by Adrienne Rich, which seems to capture both Haley’s candidacy and my daily struggles with coherent prose.